Golf club



Feb. 14, 1928.

H. E. BAACK GOLF' CLUB Filed April 30, 1927 Y ATU,

Patented Feb. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES HOWARD E. BAACK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GOLF CLUB.

Application iled April 30, 1927. Serial No. 187,724.

This invention relates to golf clubs and more particularly to direction indicators therefor. I

lt contemplates more especially the provision of means capable of selective angular disposition with respect to the driving face of a golf club to serve as a directional indicator effective to accurately align theV club.

Thepopularity of golf has made it necessary to assist the ordinary individual to manipulate a golf club in a manner most eective to drive with directional precision. The ordinary individuals greatest handicap is the inability to drive and especially put in a bee-line direction toward the cup. On that account, additional strokes are necessary to bring the ball in directional alignment in order to eiect the sinking thereof.

Effective putting requires accuracy in directional alignment of the driving face which should be normal to the line defined by the position of the ball on the green and the cup disposed therein. It has been found that a slight deflection of the driving face will materially alter the path of travel, thereby missing the hole by many inches.'

The fact is that even an almost undetectable deflection will cause a deviation in the balls line of travel of approximately a half foot when driven from a distance or five feet from the cup. Imparting an impact to a ball under the same conditions at a distance of fifteen feet, will result in missing the cup by approximately one and one-quarter feet.

Obviously, itis impossible for the average golfer to accurately dispose golf clubs of known construction in a position which will impart movement of the ball in an absolute bee-line direction, since even a slight, hardly detectable deliection causes an unusual deviation which makes it impossible to sink the ball.

In view thereof, the present invention contemplates the provision of directional finder means to enable extremely accurate manipulation of the club so as to effect beeline directional movement of the ball which M, results from the correct disposition of the club face. y

One object of the present invention is the provision of means to enable the more accurate manipulation of golf clubs.

Another object .is to provide means which indicates the position in which a golf club ls tlo be held prior to limparting motion to a Still another object is to provide means in association with a club head which will indicate the direction in which the ball is to be driven.

A further object is to provide direction indicator means capable of ready associat1on and disassociation with a club head.

A still further object is to provide means movably associated with a club head to enable the selective use thereof as a direction indicator.

Still a further object is the provision of means adJustably associated with a club head to enable the use thereof as a direction indicator Without effecting the weight of the club.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a rear view in elevation of the club head shown in p Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail view of the indicator attaching means, parts thereof being broken away to clarify the-showing;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view in elevation of a modified embodiment of the present invention; and

Flgure 5 is a diagrammatic sketch showing the effect of manipulating a club with the use of the present invention.

The structure selected for illustration comprises a club head 10 of usual contiguratlon, it terminating in an angularly disposed tubular shank 11 capable of receiving a handle which enables the manipulation of theclub head. The club head 10 is pro vided with a driving face 12 which, in this instance, is slightly inclined to constitute l a putting face, a portion thereof being provided with linear indentures 13 to prevent slippage between the ball and face at the point of impact. l

It is imperative that a putter or other golf club be properly manipulated to effect the sinking of the ball on the green with a minimum number of strokes. Usually the golfer is unable to correctly align the face of the club normal to the bee-line between the position of the ball and the cup on the green. As a matter of fact, slight deiections in angularit of the club face which are hardly detecta le to the average golfer, cause the ball to proceed laterally of the cup, thereby failing to sink the ball by a large margin.

To obviate this, the present invention contemplates the provision of a linder or direction indicator 14 which is associated with the club head 10 for normal disposition with respect to the driving face 12 thereof. This enables the finder 14 to be aligned with the imaginary bee-line 15 (Figure 5) thereby disposing the driving face 12 in a position to effect bee-line travel of the golf ball 16 directly toward the cup 17.

The inder 14 is preferably adjustably associated with the club head 10 so that it may be rendered inoperative for convenient disposition Within the golf bag or during play when its use is not desired. This is accomplished, in this instance, by providing a substantially semi-spherical depression 18 in the rear face of the club head 10 rearwardly of the point of impact, to constitute a socket for the reception of a correspondingly shaped member 19 to Which the finder 111 is secured in any appropriate manner.

A substantially rectangular slot 20 is provided in the face of the club l0 to extend longitudinally thereof in communicating relation with the socket 18 so that the finder 14: may be pivoted to assume a position Within the slot 20 to render it inoperative. As shown, the member 19 is provided with normally disposed surfaces 21 and 22 which coact with a spring member 23 secured at one extremity thereof to the club head 10 by means of the fasteners 24. The other extremity of the spring member 23 is provided with a slot 25 to receive the finder 14 therein so that it may co-act with either the lat faces 21 and 22 of the member 19 when the finder is in its operative or inoperative position, respectively.

With this arrangement, the nder 14 may be disposed normal to the driving face 12 of the club head 10 'and retained in that position by the spring member 23 which co-acts with the flat face 22 of the member 19 which is capable of pivotal movement within the socket 18. The finder 14 is disposable Within the slot 20, and there retained'by co-action of the spring 23 With the face 21 of the member 19 so as to enable the club 10 to be employed Without the aid of the finder. It is to be noted that a pin 26 may be disposed through the member 19 for reception Within suitable aligned apertures provided in the club head 10 in communication with the' socket 18, thus precluding the possibility of lateral movement of the iinder 14.

In the modiiied embodiment disclosed in Figure 4, the finder 14: is axially disposed Within an elongated aperture 20 provided in the club head 10. The aperture 20 ter minates in a threaded diminished aperture 27 for selective engagement With the threaded shank 28 of the inder 14 by manipulating its knurled head 29. An internally threaded aperture is provided in the rear face of the club 10 at a position coincident with the point of impact of the golf ball With the driving face thereof, to threadedly receive the threaded shank of the finder 14 thereby maintaining it in a position normal to its driving face.

Removal of the finder is possible by ma nipulating the knurled head 29 thereof, and disposing it Within the aperture 20. This arrangement enables detachment of the finder 14C without varying the weight of the club in either of the iinders positions. It is apparent that novel means have been provided to enable the correct disposition of the 'driving face to impart movement to a golf ball along the bee-line existing between its position and that of the cup positioned on the green.

Various changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention herein speciically described Without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof as described in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a golf club, a head, a driving face on said head, there being a socket in said head rearwardly of said driving face, a slot extending from said socket, a directional finder, means fixed to said finder for movable coaction with said socket, and resilient means associated With said head to maintain said finder in its operative position, said finder being adapted to be in said slot when in its inoperative position and to be held therein by said resilient means when in such position.

2. In a golf club, a head having a horizontally disposed slot therein, a driving face on said headz said slot being substantially parallel therein, a finder, co-operating means on said head and finder to enable the selective adjustment thereof with respect to said driving face and resilient means on said head for maintaining said finder in its adjusted position, said finder being adapted to be seated in the slot in said head when in its inoperative position and to be held therein by said resilient means.

HOWARD E. BAACK. 

